Thai police raided a karaoke venue in Bangkok early yesterday, October 17, arresting 13 Vietnamese nationals and one Thai woman following an undercover investigation into suspected ketamine sales.
Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and Khok Khram Police Station raided Paradise Karaoke & Restaurant in the Nuanchan area of Bueng Kum district at around 4am.
The operation followed a tip-off that employees at the venue were secretly selling ketamine to Thai and foreign customers.
Officers began monitoring the venue late on October 12 and witnessed a sale involving 2 grammes of ketamine for 2,200 baht at around 1.03am the following morning.
Officers then attempted to arrest the suspect, but the person escaped through the venue’s network of private karaoke rooms and entrances. Police recovered two packets containing powdered and crystalline ketamine as evidence.
Investigators subsequently obtained an arrest warrant on October 15 and a search warrant the following day, leading to the October 17 raid.
Among those arrested were 39 year old Vietnamese woman Thi Thi Nguyen, who was wanted under the arrest warrant, and 38 year old Vietnamese man Tran Van Phap.
Both were accused of jointly selling ketamine, a Category 2 psychotropic substance, without authorisation for commercial distribution.
Police also arrested two Vietnamese men for possessing ketamine for personal use.
Another 10 people, comprising five Vietnamese men, four Vietnamese women and one Thai woman, were arrested on charges of using ketamine. The group included customers and employees of the karaoke venue.
A further search uncovered another 3 grammes of ketamine. Police reported a total seizure of 6 grammes across the investigation.
Nguyen and Phap were transferred to Narcotics Suppression Division 1 investigators, while the other 12 suspects were taken to Khok Khram Police Station for legal proceedings.
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